It's a common thing hearing fellow geeks complain about being asked/harassed to do tech support for family/friends/charity. They don't just say "people always come to me when they have problems with their computers" in a neutral tone, they grumble about it or wear t-shirts saying "no, I won't fix your computer". Well, I think that there is a certain amount of hypocrisy in this reaction. Surely enough most of the problems encountered in the family/friends tech support business are not very challenging. But there is also an important factor of self-satisfaction from the fact that you and your knowledgeable mind are needed in everyday situations from everyday people doing ordinary stuff. Not all working people get this kind of satisfaction, being immediately useful to the people surrounding them, far from that. In a way, it's not very different from being a medical doctor; every body wants to ask you a small question. It can be a pain sometimes but it gives good credits and the "hey, i'm useful" feeling. And most of the grumbling is only about unconsciously emphasizing this feeling.
It's a common thing hearing fellow geeks complain about being asked/harassed to do tech support for family/friends/charity. They don't just say "people always come to me when they have problems with their computers" in a neutral tone, they grumble about it or wear t-shirts saying "no, I won't fix your computer". Well, I think that there is a certain amount of hypocrisy in this reaction. Surely enough most of the problems encountered in the family/friends tech support business are not very challenging. But there is also an important factor of self-satisfaction from the fact that you and your knowledgeable mind are needed in everyday situations from everyday people doing ordinary stuff. Not all working people get this kind of satisfaction, being immediately useful to the people surrounding them, far from that. In a way, it's not very different from being a medical doctor; every body wants to ask you a small question. It can be a pain sometimes but it gives good credits and the "hey, i'm useful" feeling. And most of the grumbling is only about unconsciously emphasizing this feeling.
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It's a common thing hearing fellow geeks complain about being asked/harassed to do tech support for family/friends/charity. They don't just say "people always come to me when they have problems with their computers" in a neutral tone, they grumble about it or wear t-shirts saying "no, I won't fix your computer". Well, I think that there is a certain amount of hypocrisy in this reaction. Surely enough most of the problems encountered in the family/friends tech support business are not very challenging. But there is also an important factor of self-satisfaction from the fact that you and your knowledgeable mind are needed in everyday situations from everyday people doing ordinary stuff. Not all working people get this kind of satisfaction, being immediately useful to the people surrounding them, far from that. In a way, it's not very different from being a medical doctor; every body wants to ask you a small question. It can be a pain sometimes but it gives good credits and the "hey, i'm useful" feeling. And most of the grumbling is only about unconsciously emphasizing this feeling.
It's a common thing hearing fellow geeks complain about being asked/harassed to do tech support for family/friends/charity. They don't just say "people always come to me when they have problems with their computers" in a neutral tone, they grumble about it or wear t-shirts saying "no, I won't fix your computer". Well, I think that there is a certain amount of hypocrisy in this reaction. Surely enough most of the problems encountered in the family/friends tech support business are not very challenging. But there is also an important factor of self-satisfaction from the fact that you and your knowledgeable mind are needed in everyday situations from everyday people doing ordinary stuff. Not all working people get this kind of satisfaction, being immediately useful to the people surrounding them, far from that. In a way, it's not very different from being a medical doctor; every body wants to ask you a small question. It can be a pain sometimes but it gives good credits and the "hey, i'm useful" feeling. And most of the grumbling is only about unconsciously emphasizing this feeling.